A Jaded Mission
by purplechic13
Summary: What if when Impulse went back in time, someone else tagged along? Jade West wants to change the past and save her parents, even if that means going to the extreme of killing Blue Beetle before he turns bad. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1: A Goodbye (Sort of)

**Summary: What if when Impulse went back in time someone tagged along? Jade West wants to change the past and save her parents, even if that means killing Blue Beetle before he turns bad.**

**Setting: Set in Season 2, starting at episode 6, Bloodlines.**

**Pairings: Not sure about pairings yet. I will probably go with most of the cannon stuff, but other than that I'm just gonna wait and see how the characters behave on their own before pairing them.**

**Genre: Family/Drama**

**Note From the Author: Hello, whoever's reading this! This is my first fanfic, (well, that I've published) so I'm super excited about it! Would love to hear you thoughts on it (constructive criticism appreciated.). I won't have any set dates for updating, so I will post updates as they come to me! Thanks so much for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the character Jade West. If I owned Young Justice it would NOT have been canceled!**

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1

**February 28, 2056**

**Ruins of Mt Justice**

"Is it ready?" I asked, gravel crunching under my feet as I walked towards the large box of scrap metal. The excited green eyes of Bart Allen stared at me from around the box. His face was smudged with grease and his red hair was wild about his head, per usual. He may have the body of a thirteen-year-old, but his mind worked on a level that was foreign to most adults, giving his entire being an aura of fidgety, fast-moving energy.

"I think so. Well, as ready as it will ever be," Bart spoke swiftly, betraying his nervousness. I pulled my battered jacked closer around the thread-bare t-shirt underneath. The wind was cold, but I was also nervous. Nathaniel walked up behind me, his face solemn as he stared past me at Bart.

"Well, I'm all set to go! Kiss for the road, sweetheart?" Bart raised his eyebrows at me, a goofy look on his face, masking his true feelings of terror and resolve.

"Well, we do have something for you," I looked over at Nathaniel.

"Show him," Nathaniel prodded. I slid the weathered backpack off my shoulders and let if fall to the ground in front of me. I crouched down and unzipped it before bringing out an old-fashioned super suite made of Kevlar and spandex. I handed it to Bart, along with matching cloves, shoes, and a goggled headset.

"Jade," Bart muttered in awe. "I don't know what to say."

"It wasn't just me," I laughed nervously. "Nathaniel helped to." Bart had talked about making a old-time hero costume since he had begun planning his mission. He told me and Nathaniel that he wanted it in order to fit in, and not completely alter the past. He was very dedicated to the idea that he should only change the past where necessary. I wasn't as dedicated to that idea. That, along with other things, is probably the reason why he was going back alone.

Bart seemed to fibrate in front of us for a second and in an instant he was dressed in his new superhero costume. Nathaniel reached into his pocket and pulled out a white pill.

"This will remove my powers in the past." Bart nodded with an unusually grim face as he took the pill from his friend. He turned to look at me and I tried to hide my apprehension and excitement with the sorrow that he expected.

"Goodbye, Jade," he told me. "Bye, Nathaniel," he told our bald friend, a hint of his usual smirk touching his mouth. With that, Bart took off and seated himself in the machine he had built. His time machine. Nathaniel and I walked closer and stood at the mouth of the scrap-metal machine.

"Probably won't be able to make another jump," he told me from his seat in the cockpit. "I won't be able to come back." Bart looked at me with a hint of sadness. He was being strong.

"We've had fun," I whispered to him. He nodded at me, and I could see tears glinting in his eyes.

"G'bye, Bart," Nathaniel spoke up. Bart smiled, giving our friend a farewell nod before closing the doors and beginning the sequence to travel back. Nathaniel followed me back over to my backpack, trying to give the machine space. He still didn't realize what I was about to do.

I reached a shaking hand down to my backpack, the backpack neither of them knew was full of ragtag clothes and supplies. I grabbed it and slung it over my back, looking to Nathaniel as if about to prepare to give Bart a wave of farewell. At the last possible second, I darted forward.

"Jade, no!" Nathaniel shouted behind me, but I ignored him. I climbed quickly onto the back of the time machine and created a force-field around myself. I had been practicing my powers in secret in order to make one big enough.

By now Nathaniel knew what I was doing. I looked into Nathaniel's panicked eyes through the clear shimmer of my shield, and smiled. By now he knew what I was doing, but it was too late. My body felt as if it was being liquefied and poured through a straw as the time machine did it's work and I was swept down into the river of time.

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**So, yeah! That's that! Mostly a filler chapter, giving some background on the character and setting up for the rest of the story. Hope you liked it! Please review and tell me your thoughts!**


	2. Chapter 2: Back to the Past

**Chapter Summary: Last saw, Jade had jumped onto Bart's time machine and followed him back in time. Something goes wrong is the time stream and Jade is sent back to months later than Bart. Bad at summaries, so that's it!**

**Setting: Time has jumped a little bit (wibbley wobbley timey wimey!), so now we are at about episode 14 of season 2. **

**Pairings: Still not 100% sold on anything other than cannon. Bart/Jade might happen, except it won't! Mwhahahaha!**

**Note from Author: Wow! I'm totally astonished at the favourites and follows and reviews! I'm so happy that you guys like what I've done so far, even if it's only a tiny taste of what's to come. **

** ToLateForMe: Thanks so much for the review! I will be delving more into Jade's history and why she goes back soon, but not a ton in this chapter! Jade/Bart might happen, but because of how I want to end the story *spoilers* it might not actually develop a lot. **

**Also giving a shout-out to ColoursAndWords: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

**Without further ado, please read and enjoy!**

**MY COMPUTER WON'T LET ME DO A PAGE BREAK SO THIS IS MY PAGE BREAK!**

*Clarke from The 100 voice* **Previously on A Jaded Mission:**

_ "Jade, no!" Nathaniel shouted behind me, but I ignored him. I climbed quickly onto the back of the time machine and created a force-field around myself. I had been practicing my powers in secret in order to make one big enough._

_ By now Nathaniel knew what I was doing. I looked into Nathaniel's panicked eyes through the clear shimmer of my shield, and smiled. By now he knew what I was doing, but it was too late. My body felt as if it was being liquefied and poured through a straw as the time machine did its work and I was swept down into the river of time._

**2: Back to the Past**

**May 13, 2016**

**Mt Justice**

I knew something was wrong when I felt the machine shudder underneath me. I had barely a moment to think before it was ripped away, leaving me to freefall through the stream of time. Unable to think completely clear, I closed my shield around me and shut my eyes. I couldn't think of anything except how fast I was moving.

Suddenly, I wasn't moving anymore. I cautiously opened my eyes to see myself in large, cave-like room. The walls, floor, and ceiling were covered in building reinforcements and other technology. According to the predictions Bart had made, this was the mission room of Mt Justice.

The room was dimly lit by a holographic computer that seemed to have been abandoned in the middle of being used, but otherwise the room was empty. A sinking feeling invaded my gut. Bart's time machine wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" a mechanical woman's voice began speaking in monotone, harmonizing with the alarms blaring overhead. The noise jolted me into action.

I ran to the abandoned computer, shooting my shield out to engulf me and the computer as I did. The first thing I noticed on the screen was the date. May 13, 2016. _That can't be right! _I thought. _Bart had said it would go back to February 28, not May 13! _I didn't know what to think, but then again, I didn't have time to either. My fingers hovered hesitantly over the holographic keyboard for a millisecond before I set to work.

As soon as my fingers touched the keyboard they were soaring through the language of technology that I had almost forgotten. My parents had taught me everything I know about computers, every little way to hack and unlock. After all, they had learnt from Nightwing, one of the most talented hackers within the Justice League. The rush it gave me was exhilarating, but that was forgotten as soon as I found what I was looking for. The monster I was hunting.

His blue-and-black masked face smiled at me through the screen with yellow eyes and too-white teeth. He was smaller, slimmer than last I had seen him, but I guess he had been older when I first met him. His eyes were the same, though. Slits of hard yellow that glinted with a playfulness that could only be described as sadistic.

A chill crept up my spine as I looked at his face. A deep longing for revenge washed over me, along with a desperation to change things. To change what he had done. I scanned through his file, learning his secret identity and were I would find him.

Real Name: Jaimie Reyes

Alias: Blue Beetle

Age: 16

Species: Human

Designation: B22

Location: El Paso, Texas, USA

I winced at his age. I hadn't thought about him being so young. _No,_ I told myself. _Everyone's young at some point. He'll become something horrible. You have to do this. _I blew out a breath and turned my attention back to the computer. Looking through the computer's list of zeta-tubes, I scanned the list to find the one closest to Jaimie Reyes's location.

"Hey!" a man's voice yelled from behind me. I poured more strength into my force-field, shielding me from everything, even sound waves. I looked back for a mere second before returning my attention to the computer.

_So, _I thought. _I finally meet the legendary Nightwing._ My parents had spoken so highly of him. _Or will someday speak highly of him._ I smirked at the thought, at the same time allowing the computer to scan me and replace my grandmother's current information with my own.

A muted vibration on my shield caused me to look up into the surprised eyes of Bart. He had never been able to vibrate through my shield. I was surprised he had tried. I shot a hard look at him, his lips moving as he silently pleaded with me. An ounce of him was happy to see me, I could tell, but mostly he was terrified. Terrified that I had come. Of what I was going to do.

Other young heroes had gathered around my impenetrable bubble, trying to get in, but I didn't pay attention to who they were. I was focused on my mission.

I closed the computer and walked towards the zeta-tubes. The heroes had no choice but to let me pass as I walked within the powerful boundaries of my shield. I put my destination into the zeta-tube.

STAR Labs, Taos, New Mexico.

I stepped into the zeta-tube.

"Recognized: Artemis B07," the machine read out as I lowered my shield and I was broken down into tiny dots of golden light.

**THIS IS A PAGE BREAK!Artemis? What? (jk I know everything that's going on!) so yeah, Artemis is Jade's grandmother! Hope everyone reading likes this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think! I'll post more as soon as I've written more!**


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome to STAR Labs

**Hello and thanks for reading!**

**Its been a while since I last updated (so sorry!) because spring break ended and I've been surprisingly busy. (Also a mild case a writer's block might have had something to do with it.) In this chapter, Jade has left Mt. Justice and zeta-tubed to STAR Labs, coincidentally the night when Red Volcano attacks. If you're familiar with this episode, you know a bit of what's coming, but most of the actual action will happen in chapter 4. This chapter is mainly an introductory for characters. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!**

** 3 Zatanna: I actually haven't ever seen Victorious, so the name thing is completely coincidental! Oops!**

oOo

**3: Welcome to STAR Labs**

**May 13, 2016**

**STAR Labs, Taos, New Mexico**

I woke up slowly, groggily. My legs were numb, and my ribs and side on fire. My backpack was gone.

I swore, waking up fully and tried to figure out where I was. Quickly I realized that I was pinned to the roof of the zeta-tube by large, jutting spikes of rock. There were so many rock spires I couldn't see out of the tunnel except through small, head-sized holes. A small amount of red light allowed me to see, but not by much. My head throbbed as I tried to remember what happened.

I had been zeta-ed to STAR Labs, but…something had happened. My head was so foggy. I hadn't had time or orient myself when the rock spikes had shot their way through the zeta-tube. I had erected a thin shield, but hadn't been able to hold it when my head hit the ceiling and I was rendered unconscious.

Grunting, I tried to move myself, to see if I could get out, but all that procured was a shriek of pain from my side. _I must have cracked my ribs, _I said to myself begrudgingly. I tried to summon a shield to blast my way out, but I was in so much pain I couldn't concentrate enough to summon anything more than a thin cushion around my body. Not much of a help.

Suddenly, the tunnel around me started rumbling. The rock around me shifted, pinning me tighter against the wall. A yelp of pain escaped my lips. _I need to get out of here before it collapses!_ The panic of claustrophobia started to well up within me, but I quickly quenched it. _You have to remain calm,_ I reminded myself.

Then, as if Fate had preordained it, I heard voices. I quieted my thoughts and could hear them more clearly, urgently speaking from the room emitting the red light into my prison.

"Help," I croaked, my voice coated with the dust blanketing the air. I tried again, more loudly. "Help!" The voices stopped talking as the building rumbled again. Dust and debris rained down on me, turning my blonde hair an ashy grey.

"Hello?" a boy's chocolate brown face with short black dreadlocks peered at me from amidst the jutting rocks. He seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place him. His eyes widened when he saw me. "Just hold on a second," he told me, before disappearing from view.

Within a couple seconds another boy's face filled the small gap. His determined face had sharp, Hispanic features and was framed by wild black hair.

"Grab my hand," he told me through his Spanish accent, reaching his arm through the gap as he did. I wanted to scream. What was holding hands going to do? But for some reason I did, my ribs screaming in protest at the movement.

Our arms both stretched to the limit, and still only our fingers could touch. His fingers were cold and clammy as they gripped mine and I suddenly felt very odd. Almost like the feeling of being in a zeta-tube, but more…electric. My vision went black for one panicked moment before I found myself standing between the two teenage boys in a large, red-lit lab.

My legs, numb from lack of circulation immediately collapsed on me, but the boy with dreadlocks caught me around the waist before I hit the ground. I hissed as my side caught on fire. The boy lowered me to the ground and stepped back, his eyes panicked as he saw the blood covering one of his hands. My blood.

I swore, looking down at my side. Other than the ribs I was sure I had cracked, the left side of my shirt was in shreds, revealing the bloody scrape one of the rocks must have inflicted on my side.

"Definitely feeling the mode," I muttered. "What just happened?"

"I teleported us," the Hispanic boy said as he collapsed to the ground beside me, his face beaded with sweat. I raised my eyebrows at this, but didn't question him. What else was gonna explain what just happened?

I wanted to ask the boy if he could teleport us out of here, preferably to somewhere near El Paso, Texas, but by the look of him, he was in no state to be teleporting anyone for a while. Our eyes all shot to the roof as the building rumbled around us.

"We need to get out of here," I told them, standing up despite the protests of my entire body. The boys glanced at each other before shooting back to me.

"Who are you?" the Hispanic boy asked.

"My name's Jade. You?" my response obviously didn't answer their question, but I wasn't about to tell them that I was from the future!

"I'm Ed and this is Virgil," the Hispanic boy said, gesturing to his friend. _Virgil._ The name clicked in my mind. The boy with dreadlocks was the superhero Static. I looked him over again. Maybe the _future_ superhero Static.

"Well boys," I said as dusty debris rained down on our heads. "It would be totally crash if we got out of here pronto." Virgil looked at me strangely before helping Ed to his feet. Ed groaned.

"I agree," Ed wheezed. "Let's get out of here before the building collapses."

oOo

**So, yeah, that's it for now! If you know this episode, you'll know that a Blue Beetle showdown is about to commence. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Write more when I've written more!**


	4. Chapter 4: Red Volcanoes and Blue Beetle

**Hellooooooooooo peoples! It's been a long-o time, and for that I apologize! I had a MAJOR case of writer's block, and literally had two sentences written down for this chapter until yesterday ... so yeah. This chapter is a bit longer than normal, but don't get used to it. I probably won't do a ton at this length.**

** TurtleLynn: Eeeee! I know! She's finally making some friends!**

**So, yes! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to tell me what you think in the reviews!**

**oOo**

**4: Red Volcanoes and Blue Beetles**

**May 13, 2016**

**STAR Labs, Taos, New Mexico**

Virgil and Ed obviously knew STAR Labs quite well. It was a good thing too, because if I had been leading us out of the labyrinth of halls, we would've ended up lost and eventually crushed.

We ran through the halls – well, _I_ ran through the halls. Virgil rode on his manhole cover, and Ed, barely able to stand after teleporting me went with him.

My breaths came heavy and shallow, each one feeling like knives through my ribs and side. The boys had tried to make me ride on the manhole cover instead of Ed, but he needed it more than I did. I was used to pushing through pain.

"So," I asked as we ran. "You two know the Lab pretty well."

"Yeah well, we kinda used to live here," my eyebrows raised at Virgil's statement.

"Were imprisoned here more like," Ed added bitterly. I opened my mouth to respond, but I never got the chance. Without warning, part of the roof collapsed on us. In the split second before we were crushed, I put up a shield, keeping the debris barely four feet above the ground and knocking the three of us to the floor.

I grunted with effort as I sat up from my position on my hands and knees. Ed and Virgil sat up from their sprawled positions and stared at me in astonishment.

"You have powers too?" Ed asked in surprise.

"Yeah," I told them, pressing my hand to my bleeding side, body shaking from effort and blood loss. "Except I wasn't experimented on, I was born with them."

"How did you know –" Virgil started, but I cut him off with a wave.

"Later. We have to get out of here." I gritted my teeth and stood, crouching my head and shoulders against the low roof. They both stared at me. "I can't keep this up much longer while I'm bleeding to death!" I half-hissed, half-yelled at the boys. They scrambled to their feet, careful to keep their heads well away from my shield.

"This way," Ed yelled, leading us down the hall and though a side exit door. The door led outside to a parking lot surrounded by greenspace and the sound of explosions. I finally allowed my shield to drop, causing half the building to collapse in front of us. I immediately felt woozy, as if letting my shield down had drained all my energy. Ed and Virgil caught me under each arm before I hit the pavement.

I yelped at the fire shooting through my ribs. Black spots danced in front of my eyes and I wasn't really aware of where I was anymore. All I could comprehend were flashing lights that slowly seemed to be getting nearer. I quickly regained coherence when I realized that Ed and Virgil were carrying me to an ambulance. I had never seen a working one before, but I darn well knew what it was.

"No," I mumbled, straining weakly against the arms around me, trying to make my shaking legs stand. "No, no stop. Don't take me there." I tried to sound forceful, but could barely stay conscious.

"It's okay, Jade. We're almost there." Ed's Spanish accent seemed to want to lull me to sleep. Virgil said something too, but I couldn't make it out. I gritted my teeth and dug my heels into the ground, forcing myself to remain conscious.

"You don't understand," I pleaded. "You can't take me to a hospital." I could feel myself beginning to panic. _This could ruin my whole plan._ "I don't exist!" I screamed at them. I felt their confused hesitation. "Please." They changed direction and carried me over to the STAR Labs sign. They carried me around to the back of it and set me down near the parking lot, out of view. I grunted and hunched my back in an effort to lessen the pain in my ribs, holding my hand at my side.

"What do you mean you don't exist?" Virgil asked me, his eyes searching mine. Both of the boys crouched in front of me, impatient for answers.

"You won't believe me."

"Hey," Ed started. "We were kidnapped by aliens and given super powers. Try us." I stared at them, trying to decide what to tell them. Anything I made up wouldn't make any more sense than the truth, so the truth would have to do.

"I'm from the future. I came back to … to change things. It's kinda messed up over there, so we decided it might work if we came back and –" Virgil cut me off.

"Who's we?" I didn't have time to answer. Another boy ran over to us, followed by a girl who propelled herself with purple blasts of energy. The boy was Native, with long black hair and an orange bandana framing his angry face. The girl was Japanese and wore an assortment of tight black clothing covered by a cheerful yellow and green vest.

"I think we got everyone out," the boy said before looking at me strangely. He opened his mouth to speak again when a projectile blasting out of the side of STAR Labs interrupted him. The thing landed with a loud clang and methodically climbed to its feet.

It was made of red metal, with harsh glowing eyes and a strange insignia on its chest and forehead. I quickly recognized it as one of Professor Ivo's creations, Red Volcano. He stared at us for a cold moment before turning to watch another figure fly slowing out of the smoking hole he had created in the building. My breath hitched in my throat and my limbs went numb with adrenaline when I saw who it was.

Blue Beetle.

Red Volcano turned to us again and raised his hand, quickly encasing us in fists of hard concrete that he had summoned from the ground. I struggled against my bonds, hearing the grunts of the other teens beside me.

"Time to sacrifice your victory and save the meat bags like a good hero," Red Volcano's condescending robotic voice rang out in the parking lot, and for a brief moment I was panicked and thought I was going to be crushed.

"You shouldn't stereotype!" Blue Beetle shouted as he pointed his sonic blasters at Red Volcano and shot him, taking the fight farther away from us. As soon as the threat of being crushed had passed, we could each think more clearly and used out powers to escape our bonds.

The Native boy to my left created some sort of glowing hologram of himself and crushed the rock. The girl used her energy to crumble the rock as Ed teleported himself to safety. Virgil used his electricity to summon his manhole cover and bust himself out. I closed my eyes and concentrate, creating a bubble around myself that quickly expanded, blasting the rock fist to bits. The Native boy and Japanese girl looked at me in surprise.

"Your friend was going to sacrifice us!" Ed yelled, charging over to the Native boy. _Friend?!_ I thought in surprise. The Native boy's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as he tried to respond.

Suddenly an explosion rocked the world around us. I would have fallen, but the Japanese girl caught my elbow and steadied me. I smiled a thanks to her before turning to see that Blue Beetle had completely obliterated Red Volcano, leaving pieces of him strewn across the ground.

Blue Beetle flew towards us, landing right in front of the group of us. My mouth was dry and my palms sweaty. He was _right there_! His eyes were narrow and angry, not as playful as they had been in his Justice League profile. He didn't seem to notice me as he spoke harshly to the others.

"Done. Now we need to get you to Green Beetle."

"Jaimie, I'm not sure –" the Native boy started.

"Tye, this is not up for debate. We need to go now!"

_Now's your moment, _I told myself, but truth be told, I was terrified. This boy, while angry, was not the monster I had come to hate. _But that's what he will become,_ I reminded myself. It was time to act. Time to erase a lifetime of pain and death.

"You're not going anywhere, Blue."

**oOo**

**So, yeah! That's where I'm ending for now! Mwahahahaha! Hope you liked this chapter! Please post a review and follow if you enjoyed it! Write more as soon as the inspiration hits me!**


	5. Chapter 5: Failure

**Hellooooo! Wow! Can't believe I have another chapter done so quickly! Guess it's the weekend, but still, I wrote this whole chapter today! *happy squeal* So, yeah, this is the longest chapter I've ever written, and I didn't really edit it, so if you see any mistakes of the grammar/spelling variety, (or anything else) please let me know! Enjoy!**

**oOo**

**5: Failure**

**May 13, 2016**

**STAR Labs, Taos, New Mexico**

_"__You're not going anywhere, Blue."_

I thrust my hands out, enveloping Blue Beetle in a shield. Swinging my hands, I threw him at the dilapidated STAR Labs building. His disappeared within the rubble.

"Hey!" Tye exclaimed, surging towards me. I turned to meet him, ready for anything.

"Jade, what're you doing?" Virgil asked me in astonishment.

"I told you I came back to change the past." I said, cold fury and resilience coursing through my body.

"By doing what?" Ed demanded.

"By killing Blue Beetle." They all gazed at me in astonishment.

"What?!" Tye shouted, clenching his hands into fists.

"You don't know him like I do," I explained. "In the future he's the most ruthless killing machine that the Reach have. He …" my voice cracked with emotion. I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud. _He murdered my parents._ I could feel my eyes starting to tear up. I was so exhausted, physically, mentally, emotionally. I just wanted this to end. The Japanese girl put her hand on my shoulder.

"Sore wa daijōbudesu," She said, giving me a comforting smile.

"You think killing him is the only way to change the future?" Ed probed. I looked him straight in the eye.

"Yes." At that moment, Blue Beetle flew out of the building, his Reach technology blasters trained on me. I put my shield up the instant before the shot hit me. Weak as I was, the shot threw me and my shield back, tumbling end over end before coming to a rough stop, leaving the other teens far in the distance.

Blue Beetle flew after me. I threw my shield at him, knocking him to the ground. I tried to stand and face him, but the shield had taken a lot out of my already tired body. I dragged myself to my feet just in time for Blue Beetle to land in front of me. He thrust his hand out and grabbed my throat, lifting me off the ground. I gasped and clawed at his hands, my panicked mind desperate. _Stupid! Stupid!_ I chided myself. _You should have waited to target him until you were at full strength!_

"Jaimie!" I heard somebody shout. Probably Tye. I think Virgil yelled something too. My name? I couldn't tell. Black spots began to appear in my vision. Within my befuddled mind I managed to have one clear thought.

In a desperate motion, I formed a knife in my hand out of my shielding and thrust it into the back of Blue Beetle's suit. He yelled and let go of my throat, reeling away from me. I fell to the ground jarring my ribs and side and cracking my head on the concrete. My lungs screamed as air slowly streamed in. My vision danced with spots and my mind was hazy. I couldn't see anything. My eyelids were so heavy. Sleep was all I needed.

Just sleep …

oOo

Floating in the cold, dark abyss of unconsciousness, I felt so peaceful. I didn't know why I was there, but it was comforting and soft. I didn't worry, or feel anything really. But sooner or later everyone has to wake up.

Consciousness crawled into my being slowly, deliberately. The first thing I noticed was my throat. _Man, that hurts,_ I thought to myself. I was lying on something soft, and my middle felt tight. _Someone must have bandaged your side._

Slowly, I opened my eyes, cautious, unsure of where I was. A soft light found its way into my vision, and my eyes adjusted to see a dimly lit bedroom. The walls were bare and painted a dingy beige. A bare lightbulb swung from the ceiling, illuminating the bed I lay on, covered in mismatched quilts and blankets. I floor-length mirror sat propped up against the floor to the right of my bed.

I sat up, groaning at my sore ribs. I swung my legs out of bed, realizing that I was wearing a pair of baby blue pajama pants and white tank top that were not mine. I tried to look down at my side injury but my neck screamed in protest. I turned to the mirror and lifted up my shirt to see a crude bandage wrapping around my torso. My hair hung in knotted blonde strands around my shoulders, framing my small, gaunt face. I looked like hell.

My bare feet sank into the plushy green carpet as I stood and walked towards the door of the small bedroom. I listened at the door for a moment. A TV was playing quietly beyond the door, and I heard muffled voices that I couldn't recognize. I turned the handle and stepped out.

I was greeted by a small hallway with one other door attached that led to a very disorganized apartment. There were pizza boxes, candy wrappers and soda cans strewn across the floor, coffee table and counter. A television sitting on a small table faced me, with two dilapidated couches facing it. The four heads poking up from behind the couch turned as I entered the apartment.

"Look who's finally awake," Virgil greeted me. They all stood.

"How long was I out?" I croaked the words out of my scratchy throat.

"Only for a few hours. It's only about midmorning now," Ed answered me.

"What happened?" They glanced at each other.

"The press arrived just after you passed out, so Jaimie was, uh, sidetracked," Tye explained. "We left while he was occupied."

"Why did you help me?" I asked them. Where I came from, you look out for you and yours, not some random stranger you meet my strange chance.

"You saved our lives, Jade. It's the least we could do," Virgil spoke up.

"Sorry, we haven't really been introduced," Tye said. "I'm Tye."

"Jade," I answered him. "Jade West. Don't suppose you guys have a shower?"

"Asami, you want to –" Virgil asked the Japanese girl. I'm pretty sure she didn't understand or speak English, but she seemed to get his meaning.

"Tashikani. Watashi to kite. No kochira ni basurūmu ga sonawatte imasu," she waved at me to follow her. The boys returned to their positions on the couch as the girl led me back down the hallway. She opened the door I had seen on my way in to reveal a small bathroom with a sink, toilet, shower and towel closet all squished into a very small, white space. She opened the closet and handed me a white towel and cloth, as well as a set of clothes.

"Asami," she said, gesturing to herself. I nodded and smiled, understanding that she was introducing herself. She gestured to my side.

"Did you bandage me?" I asked her, touching my side. She nodded.

"Settei ga kanryō shita baai no nagashi no shimo, yori hōtai ga arimasu," Asami walked over to the sink and opened the cupboard, revealing some rolled bandages and body tape. I smiled at her.

"Thanks." She smiled and left the bathroom. I put the clothes and towel on the sink's counter before turning to lock the door.

I quickly undressed and left my discarded clothes in a crumpled pile on the floor. Carefully, I unwrapped my middle and threw the used bandage in the small garbage pail beside the toilet. I stepped into the shower, turning the water on and sighing at the warm rain that begins to fall on my back. I turned and let the water run straight onto my face, feeling strangely calm and distant. I wet my hair and grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the floor of the shower, lathering the soap into my scalp. Rinsing the soap from my hair, I watched the suds run down my body and get sucked away by the hungry mouth of the drain. It felt so good to be _clean_.

After a good fifteen minutes under the blissful warmth, I turned off the shower and toweled myself dry. In the clothes Asami gave me I found the black sports bra I had brought with me from the future, although it smelled newly washed, and a pair of clean – and hopefully unused – pair of green underwear. After I had slipped these on I grabbed some bandages, body tape and a tube of anti-infecting that I found under the sink, careful to keep my head level and not aggravate my neck. I set these all on the counter and looked into the mirror.

Judging by the pain and the intense purple hue of the skin covering my ribs, I had bruised my ribs, not cracked them as I first thought. The scrape on my side was a mess of tiny scabbed-over lines, with one large four-inch cut that looked as though Asami had tried to stitch it up. Using the mirror in an attempt to not strain my neck, I used the bandage and body tape to quickly rebind my middle after applying some anti-infecting cream to it. I inspected my work and, when satisfied, my eyes strayed to my face.

My emerald eyes looked so large in my small pale face. My small frame seemed fragile against the white tile of the room. Barely reaching 5'4 on my tiptoes, I mused that I always look small and helpless. Still, my small body was hardened by the harsh environment I had lived in for all thirteen years of my life. I was strong and resilient despite my size.

_So why did I fail?_ The thought plagued my mind. I had been stupid to go after Blue Beetle while I was injured, I knew that, but I still felt like I had failed. I had failed to do what I had come here to do. I had failed my parents again. Tears pricked my eyes and I covered my face with my hands in an effort to muffle my sobs. _I'm sorry Mom and Dad! I'm so sorry! I promised I'd save you and I failed. _I sank to the ground and curled into a ball, pain and rage filling me. _I won't fail you again._

"I promise," I whispered.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door.

"Jade?" Virgil asked. "We're going to order pizza. Any requests?"

I stood up and wiped my eyes. His statement seemed so laughable. So … normal. I swallowed the emotion crowding my already swollen throat.

"Nope. Get whatever you like," I called back to him.

"Kay," he said. His footsteps echoed as he walked back down the hallway. I leaned my hands on the sink and breathed deeply, collecting my thoughts and emotions. I looked back to the mirror briefly before putting on the clothes Asami had given me; a pair of blue jeans and a green t-shirt with black bird silhouettes flying across it. Also there was a grey hoodie, a pair of white socks and my sturdy pair of black running shoes I had brought with me from the future. I put these all on and ran my fingers through my hair, a slow but affective way of getting most of the tangles out.

Walking out of the bathroom, I felt so clean, so _ready_. I was a spring, coiled and ready for action. Nothing was going to stop me again.

**oOo**

**Dun dun dun! *dramatic exit* Hope whoever's reading this enjoyed it! Please leave a comment as I would love to hear from you! (Constructive criticism appreciated) I'll post more whenever I have more!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Enemy of my Enemy

**Hello again! I seem to be on a roll here! *squeal* So, yeah. I forgot to mention in the last chapter a tidbit about Asami: I'm using google translate to write out her dialogue, so if its not accurate, I'm sorry! I don't speak Japanese. Also, I decided not to provide translations for her dialogue because her dialogue is not translated in the show, so I thought it would feel more real if you don't know what she's saying. So, yeah!**

** TotallyCray-Cray: Heehee! Thanks for the review! Jade will hopefully find Bart in either chapter 7 or 8, so don't worry! It's coming soon!**

**Without further ado, here's chapter 6! Enjoy!**

**oOo**

**6: The Enemy of my Enemy**

**May 14, 2016**

**Taos, New Mexico**

Pizza, I discovered, is one of the best foods of the planet. Cheesy, doughy, tomato-y goodness that could only be described as heavenly was suddenly my new favourite food. It was amazing how pizza could make such a trashy apartment have such a warm atmosphere.

Because of the food, we had made even more of a mess, stacking pizza boxes and pop cans on the coffee table, cluttering the area around a small silver laptop with a blank black screen. I sat on the couch facing the TV, a green, dingy little thing, and beside me sat Asami. Though we didn't understand each other, we shared a kinship as the only girls in the group. Tye and Ed sat on the couch to our left, more of a yellow than a green, but it still looked sort of disgusting. Virgil sat cross-legged on his manhole cover, using his electromagnetism to hover above the ground. _Man he's obsessed with that thing._ We all balanced paper plates of pizza on our laps as I recounted my outlandish tale. They listened with rapt attention until I had finished, hanging onto every last detail.

"So let me get this straight," Ed said, pointing his piece of cheesy, delectable pizza at me. "You came here from the future because the Reach take over."

"Yes."

"Your cousin Bart came before you because he wanted to save the Flash from dying in an attempt to change the future," Tye continued.

"Yes."

"But you came back to kill Blue Beetle so he can't kill your parents?" Virgil finished.

"Yes."

"Don't you think what your cousin did will be enough?" Virgil prodded. They all looked at me when he asked this. I felt uncomfortable with Tye's gaze, as Blue Beetle was his friend, but not uncomfortable enough to deter me.

"I just can't take that chance." I'll admit, I could tell they were a little shaken by my hardness. My seemingly uncaring view of killing another person. I guess I was more used to harsh reality than them.

"So how did you recognize us? From the future I mean?" Ed's question stopped me for a moment, a bit of pizza half-way to my mouth. _How much do I tell them?_ I had only recognized them because of Virgil being Static, but he doesn't know that yet …

"Well, uh, it's common knowledge the Reach were experimenting on teens around this time." Ed squinted at me.

"No, there must be something else. I know you recognized something about _us_," Ed persisted. I sighed. _Fine! Who cares if you get your futures spoiled for you? You asked for it!_

"Well, I actually recognized you because of Virgil," Virgil gave me a bewildered look. "I knew his backstory, so I just kinda pieced together that you all were the same."

"Why did you only recognize me?" Virgil seemed incredulous.

"Yeah, what happened to the rest of us?" Tye added, his face looking more gloomy than usual.

"Well if you really want to know …" I let my voice trail off. Truth be told, I wasn't quite sure how great it was to tell him that he would become a superhero.

"Duh!" Virgil exclaimed.

"Well, Virgil, I recognized you because of my parents. They had this wrist computer that had all of the Justice Leagues archived information on it. Bart and I used to use it almost as a storybook, we memorized pretty much everything on there, but it was, well, confiscated when I was eleven." The boys gave me confused looks. Asami listened with rapt attention, but because of the language barrier, I wasn't sure how much she was getting out of this.

"Why was I on there?" Virgil asked.

"Because you were – or I guess, will be – a member of the Justice League." They all stared at me as if I had dropped a bomb, which I guess – figuratively – I had.

"I join the Justice League? When? How?" Virgil asked incredulously.

"I'm not sure now, with the changes Bart's already made, but according to my information, you join around the time of the Reach invasion." Virgil had a bewildered smile on his face.

"Do I have a cool superhero name?" I laugh at his question. _Really? That's what you want to know?_

"Yeah, but I won't spoil it for you. You can still come up with it on your own." I could see his mind racing at his statement, as if he was already trying to name himself. For all I knew, he probably was.

"What about the rest of us?" Tye asked, his face as stormy as ever. _Geeze, dude, don't you ever smile?_

"I guess you guys just go back to your normal lives. I mean, I never heard or read about you." The mulled over my statement. "How did you guys get money for pizza?" Their heads shot over to me at my question. "I mean, you guys are practically fugitives, living in an abandoned apartment. Where'd the money come from?" They glanced at each other.

"We were given the money from ... uh … a friend," Ed answered uncertainly. My eyes narrowed.

"Who?" The boys glanced awkwardly at each other again.

"Lex Luthor."

"What?!" I exclaimed, leaping to my feet. "Don't you know who that is? He helped with the Reach invasion!"

"He's not all bad. He helped break us out of STAR," Tye responded, his voice quickly becoming as heated as mine as he stood.

"I don't care what he did!" I shouted. "You might as well be taking help from the Reach!"

"Hey!" Ed shouted, getting to his feet as well. I could tell I had struck a nerve.

"Jeido wa, ochitsui te," Asami implored, putting her hand on my arm. I yanked my arm away.

"Guys, calm down!" Virgil implored from his perch.

"I will _not_ calm down!" I yelled at him. "Here I am, thinking you guys are against the Reach, while you guys are being all chummy with one of their lackeys _and_ living off his money!"

"It's not like that, Jade!" Ed practically yelled.

"How can you even think for one second that we would accept help from _anyone_ associated with the Reach?! After what they did to us?!" Tye and I were practically nose-to-nose at this point, fury in our gaze, the air around us virtually humming with anger.

"Children, it is pointless to bicker." The black screen of the laptop on the coffee table burst to life, revealing a video call from an imposing figure.

"Luthor," I snarled, balling my hands into fists as I look at the placid-faced man staring at me through the screen.

"Jade, is it?" His voice was perfectly cordially, which made me even more furious. I didn't like to deal with snakes.

"How do you know me?" My question, though laced with anger, was completely sincere. I had covered my tracks well, so there shouldn't have been any record of me anywhere. Yet. Luthor's satisfied smirk irritated me. He was in a position of power and control, and he knew it.

"I make it my business to never be in the dark about something." _Man this guy is smooth._ Like a tiger in the underbrush, stalking his prey. Suave and in control.

"What do you want?" I asked angrily.

"To make you see my point of view. Yes, I did have a partnership with the Reach," I snorted, but he held up his hand, stopping me from making a snide remark. "But as I told your friends, I have recently learned that the Reach are only using me as a means to an end. I don't take being crossed lightly. Surely you see my position?"

"And surely you see mine," I scoffed. "If you really know so much, Mr. High-and-Mighty, you'll know that I don't make deals with a demon to smite the devil. You might as well be on the same as them side for all I care."

"Yes, but what's that saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" I gritted my teeth at his remark. I had walked right into that one. "Just ask your friends Ms. West. You'll need my help eventually. Think about it." The screen blinked off, fading to its original black. I growled and kicked the leg of the coffee table, plunking myself back down on the couch with arms crossed. The thing that irked me was that I knew he was right. I had come here from the future with nothing, and had since made myself a fugitive from the Justice League itself, as well as being an enemy to the Reach. I would need his help by the end, and the feeling was like tar boiling in my stomach.

**oOoUh oh! Lex Luthor! This chapter was fun to write, because there wasn't any action, it was mostly just character interaction, and Lex Luthor! Yay! If I made any mistakes, please let me know! Please review this story if you like it (and if you didn't)! =D Thanks for reading and i'll post more when I have more!**


	7. Chapter 7: Dreams of the Past

**Hellooooo! Update time! Woohoo! So this is by far the longest chapter I've ever published, but don't get used to it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime-long chapter. I mostly write chapters that are smaller, but the seem to be getting consistently larger, so we'll see I guess. Chapter 7 is mostly filler/backstory, so there's not a tonne going on within the main story arc. **

** TotallyCray-Cray: Thanks so much! =D =D Two smileys for you to! I hope her and Bart change things for the better, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Considering my plan for the story, you might not think I'm so astrous... **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**oOo**

**7: Dreams of the Past**

**May 29, 2016**

**Taos, New Mexico**

So, petty vandalism. Yup. That's what we had been reduced to. We hadn't had any contact with Luthor for about ten days, so we had to find _some _way to attack the Reach. It was a daily routine; eat supper, then go destroy stuff. Well, I didn't usually go out with them. Where I came from, we barely had enough to live off, much less voluntarily destroy. No, my crimes would include thievery, not vandalism. Still, it made them feel better to be actually do something, which I totally understood. I felt I was going to go mad just sitting on my hands.

While Virgil, Ed, Tye, and Asami were out warring against the Reach, I was web-surfing. Well, I guess Lex's laptop. Since the loss of my parents' wristwatch, I hadn't had any access to information period, let alone a Wi-Fi connection, so I was in absolute heaven.

I researched Blue Beetle of course, learning everything I possibly could by hacking the Justice League's system. Funny how 50 years in the past and they still had most of the same passwords. Although I was quite dedicated to my task, there was one subject my mind kept plaguing me about. My grandparents: Kid Flash and Artemis.

In the wrist computer, the information on them had been scarce. Birthdays, names, designations, and the dates they had retired from hero work. There had been no location on them, as they had died years after getting out of the game. In this time of the League, however, there would be a location for them.

It was strange. I had never _really_ met them – they had died before I was born – but I was drawn to them. Then were my only real connection to my parents. I looked at the clock on the bottom right-hand corner of the computer screen. 6:34 pm. _They still won't be back for a while,_ I said to myself, thinking of my fugitive friends. I looked back at the computer screen. _I guess it wouldn't hurt…_

I quickly opened another tab, surfing my way through the internet and into the Justice League's databases. I typed in my grandfather's name first. I quickly scanned through his information.

Real Name: Wally West

Alias: Kid Flash

Age: 21

Species: Human

Powers/Abilities: Super Speed

Designation: B03

Base Location: Palo Alto, California, USA

Status: Inactive

Reading the information, I had an unrealistic urge to go to Palo Alto and meet him. I knew it was stupid. There was absolutely no way I could even get to Palo Alto, but still. He was some of the only family I had left. _For now,_ I reminded myself. _That will all change soon._ I typed in my grandmother's name.

Real Name: Artemis Lian Crock

Alias: Artemis

Age: 20

Species: Human

Powers/Abilities: Archery

Designation: B07

Base Location: Palo Alto, California, USA

A smile crept to my face. They were already together. _Who knows?_ I thought. _Maybe Dad's already on his way._ My smile quickly disintegrated when I got to the bottom of her profile.

Status: Deceased

_No. No that can't be right!_ How could she be dead? It didn't make any sense. She should've been out of duty by now, not killed in action! _If she's dead, then how am I still … existing?_ Something was off. I wasn't an expert on time travel – heck! I don't think anyone is – but I knew that if she was dead there was no way I could have been born.

"Ugh!" I slammed my palm against the table. Nothing made sense. I leaned my head back onto the couch seat, wedging myself between the couch and coffee table. I ran different scenarios through my head over and over, but nothing seemed to work. Everything had some sort of hole. Eventually, I fell asleep, frustrated exhaustion taking its toll on me.

oOo

_"__Bart!" I giggled, my hands groping at his wrist. "Give it back! It's my turn now!" I tried to be quiet, not wanted to draw any sort of attention, but he was really annoying me. We sat side-by-side, hiding under a pile cracked cement blocks. We should have been helping collect scrap metals with the others, but this was so much more fun. Reading about past heroes was our favourite pastime. It seemed like a fairy-tale, meta-humans who didn't where inhibitor collars, who saved the world from villains like the Reach. We snuck away any moment we could to read about them._

_ "__Jade! Stop it! I'm reading about the Flash!" the redhead pushed me away. I growled._

_ "__You've already memorized the Flash's profile!" I whined. "It's my turn and I want to read about Static!" I pulled on his arm again in protest._

_ "__Fine, you big baby!" he sighed, pulling the computer off his arm and onto mine. I pouted._

_ "__I'm not a baby," I huffed, securing the computer on my wrist and searching for Static. With a cheeky grin he forced his way into my face._

_ "__Are to."_

_ "__Am not."_

_ "__Are to!"_

_ "__Am not!"_

_ "__Are to!"_

_ "__How many times do we have to go through this? Just because I'm two months younger than you doesn't make me a baby!" I shoved him backwards and went back to the computer._

_ "__Does to!" he said in an annoying sing-song voice. I ignored him, until he started pulling on my ponytail._

_ "__That's it!" I snapped. In one smooth motion I turned off the computer and tackled my annoying cousin. He yelped in surprise as he fell on his back with me on top of him. We wrestled in the dirt, part play, part actual frustration, vying for the upper hand. Unfortunately, he got it._

_He rolled me onto my back, sitting on my stomach and making it hard for me to breath. He grinned down at me holding my wrists above my head._

_ "__Get off!" I grunted. He laughed before scrambling up and running out of our little hideout. "Oh no you don't," I mumbled, running after him. Even with an inhibitor collar, Bart was a fast runner, so I pushed all my effort into chasing him down. Unfortunately, I ran straight into someone who was as sturdy as a brick wall. I fell onto my butt in the dirt. I looked up and scowled._

_ "__Watch where you're –" the words died in my throat, engulfed by fear when I saw who it was. The hulking blue-and-black mountain scowled at me before grabbing my arm just below the elbow but above the computer and hauling me up, dangling my feet above the ground. I yelped at the tight grip on my arm._

_ "__Meat?" Blue Beetle's deep voice resonated at a frequency that made my chest quiver. Or was that just fear? I whimpered, clawing at my captured arm._

_ "__I-I thought you w-weren't supposed to be in this district till tomorrow," my voice quivered. We never would have dreamed of bringing out the computer if he was in the district._

_ "__I came back early." By now a sizeable crowd had gathered, their faces as fearful as I knew my own was. No one would dare interfere. My arm hurt so bad under his iron grip that tears snaked their way down my cheeks. I kicked my legs and clawed the air around his hand with my free arm in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Blue Beetle's eyes narrowed at the device on my wrist. "What's this, meat?" A pang of fear struck the cords of my heart. That kind of technology was forbidden. ___I'm gonna die for this! He's gonna kill me! _I stuttered for an answer._

_Blue Beetle reached with his free hand and ripped the computer off my wrist, accidentally turning it on in the process. The smiling profile of Static stared through the holographic screen._

_ "__Jade!" My name was shouted desperately by multiple voices. Blue Beetle turned, jarring my arm to the point I thought he would dislocate it. Once he had turned, I could see who had called out to me. My mother, her crystal blue eyes wild with fear, my father, his red hair askew and face smudged with soot, and Bart, his face filled with more terror than I had ever seen, all stared at the scene unfolding before them. My parents stepped forward, pushing Bart back into the somber crowd._

_ "__Stop!" my dad shouted, one hand stretched to me and the other holding my mother's. His green eyes found mine, and his gaze calmed me, if only for a moment. Out of my parents, my father had always been the hyper one, but he had always had a knack for making me feel safe. Like everything in our messed-up world was going to turn out alright._

_ "__What, meat?" Blue Beetle's voice grinded against my ears._

_ "__It's not hers," my father answered._

_ "__It's ours." My mother's usually level voice was shaking with emotion. I shifted my gaze from my father to her. "Please! She doesn't even know what it is!" she lied. My heart quickened when I realized what they were trying to do. They were trying to shift the blame._

_To them._

_I wanted to scream, to shout for them to run, for her to stop, but I couldn't. I was trapped within the prison of my own blind terror. I whimpered, my eyes finding their way to my mother's face. I had never truly realized how beautiful she was. Her blonde hair, hanging in dirty streaks whipped about her head in the wind, framing her crystal eyes. A tear snaked down her cheek._

_ "__You know that these devices are forbidden?" Blue Beetle asked, already knowing the answer._

_ "__Yes." The world seemed to pass by in panicked flashes. My parents intertwined hands. The tear on my mother's cheek. My father's steady eyes. Bart, peeking out from the crowd, his face a mask of horror. _This isn't happening. This isn't happening.

_I didn't hear what Blue Beetle said, I only heard the rumble of his voice. The shatter of metal as he crushed the computer and let the remains tumble to the ground._

_ "__No!" the word tore itself from my throat as Blue Beetle lifted his free hand and shot both my parents through the chest. I was suddenly numb. The terrified screams of bystanders reached my ears, by the crowd remained eerily still. Didn't they see my parents? _Why doesn't somebody help them?_ I kicked my legs and struggled against Blue Beetle's grip, desperate to get to my parents._

_ "__I'm done here," Blue Beetle muttered distastefully, as if my parents had been some sort of pesky mosquito that he had swatted away. The crowd remained still. "Back to work!" He barked, springing the shocked crowd into action. The area began to clear as people went back to their day. As if nothing had ever occurred, no tragedy had just taken place, the mountain of a Reach agent dropped me unceremoniously to the ground before sprouting his wings and flying away._

_I landed hard, jarring my knees, but instantly started running over to my parents. They were still holding hands. I kneeled beside my mother, shaking as I looked at the rapidly expanding pool of blood beneath their bodies. Large blue spikes jutted out from their chests, and their eyes stared unblinkingly into the overcast sky, void of any spark. They were just … gone. I touched my hands to their faces, willing them to come back. Sobs wracked my body and tears wet my face, flowing freely onto my parents lifeless forms._

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no_! I heard an unearthly shriek echo into the heavens. It took me a moment to realize that the sound had come from me. "Please mommy, please daddy come back," I sobbed. I looked up through tear streaked eyes to see that only two people from the crowd were still there._

_Bart stood frozen in shock, his arms limp at his sides. He was full of both terror and disbelief. He was shocked as much as I was. The second was a man that I had seen only a few time before. He was bald, but his face was crisscrossed with scars. There was a thud as Bart's knees hit the dirt and he began weeping at the loss of my parents. He covered his face with his hands. I closed my eyes and sunk my face back into my mother's neck, allowing grief to overtake my body._

_Someone placed their hand on my back, and I turned. Expecting to see Bart, I was surprisingly greeted by the hazel eyes of the bald man. I pushed him away angrily._

_ "__We have to go," he said quietly. "You'll get in more trouble if you don't get back to work or out of sight." _More trouble?_ He made is sound like it was a mere inconvenience. On a better day, I probably would have tried to wrestle him to the ground, but I was too shocked, too numb to do anything but cry onto my parents' corpses._

_The man gently tried to pry me away from my mother. I resisted him, flinging myself onto the bodies. Hands encircled my waist as the bald man hauled me up and away. I screamed at him, biting and clawing and kicking. I had to get back. He couldn't take me away from my mom and dad._

_ "__Mommy! Daddy!" I screamed. "No! Take me back! TAKE ME BACK!" I fought as hard as I could, but the man was undeterred by my frantic please. The bald man dragged me over to Bart and nudged the redhead with his foot, muttering something about needing to leave. Bart nodded, wiping his still-leaking eyes as he stood, ready to follow the man. I felt fury boiling up inside me._

_ "__No! Take me back! I can't leave them!" I was frantic. The man began dragging me away and Bart followed like a lost sheep. I sobbed in desperation. "Bart! Help me! Take me back! Please! Please! Daddy! Mommy!"_

**oOo**

**So...that happened. How do you like Jade's backstory-dream? Please review and tell me what you think! I'll update when I update, so until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Nightmares

**Hellooooo! So, here's another chapter. I was originally planning for Jade and friends to already be on the Warworld, but this chapter kinda evolved into a team-bonding chapter. Hope you like! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Jade West. If I owned Young Justice it would not have been canceled. Also, I use some direct dialogue from the show in parts, but all rights go to the show and her makers!**

**oOo**

**8: Nightmares**

**May 29, 2016**

**Taos, New Mexico**

_"__No! Take me back! I can't leave them!" I was frantic. The man began dragging me away and Bart followed like a lost sheep. I sobbed in desperation. "Bart! Help me! Take me back! Please! Please! Daddy! Mommy!"_

_ "__Jade?"_

_ "__Mom?" the words came sluggishly out of my mouth, slurred and unfocussed. All I could see were my parents' blood-soaked bodies, but I swear I could hear my mother calling me. I struggled against the man for a moment before I realized he wasn't there. I ran back over to my parents' prone corpses, the ground under my feet feeling less like gravel and more like putty. Every step was a struggle, and no matter how hard I pushed myself, my parents didn't seem to be getting any closer._

_ "__Jade?"_

_ "__Mommy?" I cried, flailing my hands and using every ounce of strength to move forward. I just couldn't. I was sunk to my knees in gravel that looked solid, but wasn't. My muscles burned and my face was streaked with tears._

_Suddenly, I was kneeling in front of my parents again. The blood pooling around them seemed to disappear, soaking into the ground like water down a drain. I put my hand on my mother's arm. She sat up, her dead eyes staring into mine as I scrambled backwards._

_ "__Jade, wake up!"_

I gasped, my eyes shooting open to the sight of four concerned faces hovering about me. Asami kneeled beside me on the floor, her hand on my shoulder and worry in her dark eyes. The three boys gathered on the other side of me, seeming both concerned and wary at the same time.

"Jade, you okay?" Asami asked me in broken English. For the past ten days we had all been trying to learn bits of Japanese and English so that we would have a way of communicating. It was slow, but we were getting better at it. I quickly realized that my cheeks were wet with tears. I sat up abruptly and wiped my eyes with the cuffs of my fingerless gloves.

"I'm fine. Watashi wa daijōbudesu, Asami." I'm pretty sure I completely butchered the Japanese for "I'm alright", but Asami smiled in appreciation at my attempt. They backed up, giving me a bit of space as I sat down on the couch.

"Nightmare?" Tye asked. I nodded, embarrassed.

"What about?" I mused over Virgil's question for a moment.

"A bad memory."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Virgil's eyes were so sincere, his face a mask of real concern. I guess they had a right to know.

"It was the day my parents were murdered." The boys' eyebrows shot up in surprise, and Asami sat down beside me, putting her arm around me. The boys followed suite, finding seats on the floor or other couch.

"Did Blue Beetle really kill them?" Tye asked quietly. It was the first time he had spoken to me without any hint of prejudice over my vendetta against Blue Beetle.

"Yes," the room was silent. Somber. "But it was my fault." Tye's eyes widened and Ed's mouth dropped to the floor. Before they could say anything, before I could lose my nerve I told them everything. I struggled to find the words to say everything, to relay every detail, but Asami's arm around my back grounded me to reality, allowing me to focus. "I was stupid. They sacrificed themselves for me. I should have been the one to die that day. It was my fault. It was my fault." My voice cracked and I tears began sliding down my cheeks. Saying it out loud made it so fresh in my mind. Pain weighed in my chest so tightly I thought my sternum would concave. I looked at my hands, waiting for them to agree with me. To blame me.

"It's not your fault, Jade," Virgil said quietly. My eyes remained glued on my hands. "Jade, look at me." I looked up into his face, his expression a mixture of strength and gentleness. "It wasn't your fault. The Reach killed them, you hear me? It was the Reach's fault." His voice was hard, angry, but also very tender and kind.

"But if I hadn't been so stupid, fooling around, if I had just –" I put my head in my hands, sobbing uncontrollably. I couldn't remember the last time I had cried like this. It was embarrassing. Virgil kneeled in front of me, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Jade, it wasn't your fault. The only ones to blame are the Reach, not you." I continued to cry into my hands, unable to bear looking at any of them. They were just being nice. It had been my fault.

"Jade, your parents loved you so much they sacrificed themselves for you." I looked up, surprised that Tye had said anything. "Our parents –" he glanced at Virgil. "Well, lots of parents wouldn't do that. You shouldn't blame yourself, the Reach made them choose. The only ones to blame are the Reach," his face, as usual, was angry, but this time more focussed and intense. "You were what, nine when they died? And you're only thirteen now! You doing more than lots of kids would do for their parents!"

"And you've got us." I dragged my eyes to where Ed was sitting. "I swear, Jade, we'll help you save your parents. We'll help you change things."

"Promise," Asami piped in. My heart began to feel lighter at that moment. I didn't have to carry this alone anymore. I wasn't as helpless as I used to be. I hadn't ever had any friends besides Bart and Nathaniel, so it was peculiar to be open to so many people, but it felt good. I knew they would have my back. _After all, what're friends for?_

"Thanks," was all I could say before I was sandwiched in the middle of the most uncomfortable group hug ever. I had never really hugged anyone other than my parents and Bart before, so it was a strange sensation. "Guys? Can't breathe." I croaked.

"How touching." We all jumped and scrambled back to our respective seats as a video message from Lex Luthor popped onto the open laptop screen. "Should I come back later?"

"What do you want, Luthor?" I demanded. Leave it to Lex Luthor to rudely interrupt a bonding moment just because he can. I had almost resigned myself to the fact that we needed his help, but that didn't mean I had to like him.

"Really, Ms. West. As I told your friends earlier tonight, I want to help you strike a real blow against the Reach." I looked around at the group, but Ed just shrugged.

"He called us on the cell. That's why we came back so early." It was true. The clock on the laptop read 8:03 pm, but usually they would stay out till well past midnight.

"Did you get the package I left outside the door?" Asami nodded beside me, setting a small cardboard box I hadn't noticed before on the coffee table.

"Please open the box, Asami." Luthor asked. She complied, easily ripping off the tape that bound it shut. From inside she pulled out a small metal box, which looked almost like a TV remote, except it was decorated with wired lines and a large red circle in the middle.

"What is it?" I demanded.

"It's called Father Box. It can open a boom tube gateway to the Warworld and back again. It's also been programed to locate Kryptonian DNA. " Luthor stated simply, as if it was obvious.

"Kryptonian?" You mean you're sending us after Superman?" Virgil exclaimed, voicing the surprise that I felt. No way I was going after Superman.

"Superboy actually. One of nine young heroes captured by the Reach, during the resent attack and conquering of the Warworld. The Warworld is massive, so both the Reach and the Justice League have taken control of different parts. To the Justice League, these young heroes have all but vanished," Luthor stated as an image came up on the screen, showing the faces of each of the heroes. A breath hitched in my throat when I recognized a particular one.

"Bart," I breathed. Panic began to rise up in my chest, adrenaline making my limbs tingle.

"Those guys saved us from the Reach!" Virgil exclaimed, and I could see from the looks on everyone else's face that they recognized the heroes too.

"Precisely," Luthor answered smoothly. "Care to return the favour? And in the process strike a critical blow against the Reach?"

"Dude! You're asking us to go inside the War World and rescue superheroes? If they got caught, what chance do we have?" Leave it to Tye to show the downside of going. The way he put it made clear his opinion on how stupid we would be if we went. I didn't care. My mind had already been made up for me. Ed and Asami both muttered something in their native tongues.

"I'm going." The first to agree, they all looked at me in surprise, even Luthor. "Bart's there," I explained.

"I'm in too," Virgil spoke up next. Tye gave him a wary look. "There's no way the Reach expect us. With the element of surprise and our powers, we're the only ones who might actually stand a chance. Besides, we owe 'em."

"My thoughts exactly." Luthor stated.

"Fine." Tye relented, obviously defeated.

"You had me at 'we owe 'em" Sighed Ed.

Asami held the Father Box out towards the computer screen. "How does work, please?"

"The Warworld's shielding prevents Father Box from pinpointing Superboy's exact location from Earth, but it can boom tube to be within a few miles of it. Once you're inside, it will lead you directly to Superboy and the others. Then when you're ready it can bring you all home. Simply ask, Asami and it will obey." Luthor gave us a self-satisfied smile before the computer blinked back to black. I knew without a doubt that I had to do everything in my power to help Bart. He had always had my back, so even if it meant going into a giant alien space ship to rescue _superheroes_, with the help of a man probably closer to our enemy than our friend, I would.

"The Warworld, please." Asami said hesitantly to the box. It blinked for a moment before creating a black hole underneath us, and we were swallowed by golden light.

**oOo**

**Hope you liked it! I'll update again hopefully sometime soon! Please review as I looove feedback! Bye for now!**


	9. Chapter 9: Not Exactly Laser Proof

**Hellooooooooo! Wow, I'm SO SORRY that it's been so long! I never meant for it to take this long to upload a chapter, but it just kinda did ...**

**I want to promise that it won't happen again, but I don't think I can, but I can promise that I will finish this story! (Just maybe over an extended period of time!)**

**I don't have any other excuses other than mild writer's block, school finals, and all around personal crap. Yay! Love dealing with personal crap! (If you didn't catch it, that was sarcasm.)**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! If things seem out of character please don't judge. I really struggled to get this chapter out! Love you all so much! Please leave a review!**

**oOo**

**9: Not Exactly Laser Proof**

**May 29, 2016**

**The Warworld**

The sensation of falling had lodged my heart in my throat, but somehow I was still able to scream. I flailed in the pitch dark, waiting for the seemingly bottomless pit to end. Suddenly, a hole of light opened up beneath me and I fell through, sprawling across a hard, cold floor along with Tye, Virgil, Asami, and Ed.

We all gave a collective groan, climbing to our feet. It was then that we realized that we were surround by a squadron of red-clad Reach soldiers. Rage boiled inside me at the sight of them, and I clenched my hands into fists. I probably would have attacked, if Virgil hadn't spoken first.

"Oh, we give up, we give up, please don't hurt us!" He yelped throwing himself on his knees and putting his hands behind his head. "It was stupid to come here! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I knew this wouldn't work, we are so sorry." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Of all of them, Virgil had turned coward? I was about to redirect my anger at Virgil, when Ed followed his lead, kneeling on the ground.

"He's right. We don't want any trouble, we just want to go home." It was then that it clicked in my mind. I got down on my knees, gritting my teeth. Asami and Tye quickly followed suit. The Reach soldiers approached us, keeping their blasters level with our heads at all times. One of them went up to Virgil, speaking in their strange clicking language and lifted Virgil up by the collar of his shirt.

"Fooled ya!" Virgil smirked as he used his electricity to bring his manhole cover around and slam the soldier holding him in the head. We quickly joined in. I enclosed the two Reach closest to me within a force-field, slamming them against the ceiling and them back against the floor.

"Woohoo! Now you gone done and woke up the big man!" Virgil yelled from behind me. I turned around to see that Tye had activated his powers, a 20 foot tall astral projection. He swiped his hand, batting four Reach soldiers into the air. I grinned. I had seen Tye's powers in action a couple of times the past few days, but it never lost its awesomeness.

I turned back to the task at hand, causing a force-field to ripple out of me and smash two of the Reach into a wall. _Man this is so crash!_ I ran over to them and grabbed one of their laser guns. I turned, gun in hand, just in time to see a transport pull up, releasing at least forty more soldiers with laser guns on us. Swearing profusely, I fired a few shots into the horde. Three Reach soldiers fell, but they seemed to be replaced instantly.

I spun around, searching the room before my eyes locked on Virgil. I ran towards him, ducking under Tye's giant foot mid-stride and dodging the lasers of the oncoming Reach horde. I fired a few shot of my own towards them without really aiming.

When I reached Virgil he was finishing dispatch two soldiers, slamming their heads against the wall my ramming them with his manhole cover. _Brutal, but affective,_ I mused. Asami rammed a couple of soldiers behind us with her energy blasts, making my ears ring at the close range. She landed behind me. I grabbed Virgil's arm before he could fly away on his manhole cover.

"We need to get out of here!" I yelled above the noise. He looked behind me and saw the quickly approaching horde. I was surprised at how _alive_ he looked. Yes, his eyes held fear, terror even, but there was a glint of mischief there as well. He was in his element, even if the element was new and dangerous. I could see the hero coming out in him. Static had been born.

"Got it." He hopped onto his metal circle, swiftly moving away from the horde with me and Asami in tow. "Ed! Tye! Time to go!" He shouted at our comrades, who quickly realized the danger and ran towards us. Tye's astral form quickly caught up to us and took the lead, leading us farther into the Warworld and – hopefully – away from danger.

oOo

I panted as we ran, searching the bleak metal walls for a way out. Or a way to get rid of the soldiers on our tail. Either would work for me. There were just too many of them for us to handle. Suddenly, the tunnel in front of us opened up. On either side of the opening were more walkways, but straight ahead there was only a ledge. The ledge dropped off, probably going all the way to the bottom of the Warworld. _If you were running fast enough…_ I thought, an idea quickly forming in my mind.

"Move!" I shouted at the group. Swearing at their confused faces I dropped my Reach blaster and thrust out my hands, pushing them back with a not-to-gentle shield. They fell hard to the right side of the doorway. I ran to the left and thrust out my hands again, just as the soldiers reached the door. I formed a shield behind them and forcing it forward, sending the soldiers stumbling over each other out the door and over the ledge.

My mouth switched up in a satisfied smirk when I spotted something dart out of the open doorway. I didn't even have time to react as the red-clad soldier pointed, aimed, and shot his blaster square at my chest. At the last possible second Tye jumped in front of me and kneeled, shielding me with glowing outstretched arms. At the same second, Virgil rammed the soldier in the stomach with his manhole cover, shoving him over the edge to join his brethren.

Tye descended as his astral form shrank back into his chest. I let out a shaky breath.

"Well, that was close," I laughed nervously as Ed, Virgil, and Asami ran over.

"Dude, did we know your, uh, long shadow was laser-proof?" Ed asked with raised eyebrows. Tye grimaced and held his stomach.

"Ugh, more like, laser-resistant. Those lasers stung," he groaned.

"Sorry. I didn't see that last one." Tye looked at me and shrugged.

"S'okay. You did just get rid of forty Reach soldiers." I laughed. Virgil caught my gaze, a question in his eyes. I smirked and nodded. _I'm fine._

"I'm starting to think you're a bit crazy, Jade," Ed told me.

"You're just realizing that now?" He laughed, shaking his head.

"What now?" Tye asked. We all turned to Asami. She pulled the Father Box out from her pocket.

"Superboy, please." The device beeped and lit up, leading us to the left. "This way!"

oOo

The door in front of us slid open in groaning protest. The sight inside took my breath away, not that I had much to give. The Father Box had led us through a bazillion levels of the Warworld, making us run up and down, back and forth for the last fifteen minutes. It felt like an eternity. Luckily, we hadn't run into anymore Reach.

We crept through the doorway, taking in the strange sight of the gigantic dark chamber. The room was filled with prison cells, all glowing with red viewing windows. Rows upon rows of cells stretched as far as the eye could see, stacking upon each other to the roof. Most of them sat empty. But it was not the empty cells that captured my attention.

"Oh man! There they are!" Virgil voiced both the relief and panic that I felt. In the cells closest to us were the nine missing members of the Junior Justice League. They all hung suspended in the red chambers, their bodies still and eyes closed. I scanned the cells before finally finding him. _Bart._ He hung in a chamber to my right, his face slack of its usual teasing smirk. I stepped forward instantly, wanting to get him out as quickly as possible.

"Looks like they're frozen," Ed mused. I would have rolled my eyes in a 'thanks Captain Obvious' gesture, but my movements were steeled at the sound of a grating dark voice.

"They're in stasis." I turned swiftly in recognition. All the Beetles seemed to have similar voices. All dark. All smug. The others turned as well, taking in the looming black form with the gravely voice. "And you will join them soon enough."

**oOo**

**So there you have it. Black Beetle in da house! Please leave a review! I really appreciate criticism and suggestions! I'll write as soon as I have more!**


	10. Chapter 10: A Reunion

**So, it's been a while ... *dodges angrily thrown tomatoes* Sorry! Summer has been really long and busy for me, much more than I ever would have expected. I hope I can be more regular now and finally finish this story!**

**Anyway, hope you like this chapter and that you don't hate me for taking so long! Enjoy!**

...

**10: A Reunion**

**May 30, 2016**

**The Warworld**

_"__They're in stasis, and you will join them soon enough."_

I lifted my Reach blaster and aimed it at Black Beetle's chest. The group around me crouched, anticipating an attack.

"What make you so sure, Black?" I shouted with much more audacity than I felt. I was mostly trying to stall for time. I knew that we had extremely slim chances of beating a Beetle. He turned his eyes on me, his glare still maintaining the air of arrogance that all Reach seemed to have.

"You meat heroes are all the same. Arrogant to the point of destruction." I smirked, maintaining my façade of false bravado.

"I was about to say the same about you Reach. So self-assured you constantly underestimate us meta-humans." My comments didn't affect Black Beetle at all, but I could tell they affected my team. They were much more willing to show fear than I was.

"Uh, Jade, I saw this freak take down all these heroes back on the Reach ship," Virgil said nervously, his body twitching with nervous energy.

"Please don't let that stop you from attacking me. I could use the exercise," Black Beetle replied smugly, rubbing his hand together in anticipation. I heard Tye growl from my left. The air around him gave an eerie moan as he powered up.

"Tye, no!" I yelled as he rushed the Reach warrior. All I could do was watch as Black Beetle grinned and held out his cannon, shooting Tye through the chest as he charged forward. Tye screamed as his astral form disintegrated. I could do nothing but watch his limp form fall and hit the ground with a sickening thud. He didn't move again.

"Please tell me he did not just take out our big gun in three seconds flat," Ed said through gritted teeth.

"You can't rush his head on!" I shouted, trying to warn them. "You have to – " I barely had time to construct a small shield in front of me before the shot from Black Beetle's cannon reached me. I flew back, losing my grip on my blaster and slamming to a landing against a row of stasis cells. My head smarted against the metal and my vision went fuzzy. I slid to the floor.

"Scatter!" Someone to my left yelled. Virgil? I couldn't hear very well past the cotton stuffed in my ears. I dug my fingers into the cold metal of the floor, trying to stop the world from spinning. I must have blacked out, because when I opened my eyes, Black Beetle was nowhere to be seen. I glanced to my right to see Asami and Virgil dragging themselves off the floor.

Suddenly, Black Beetle came soaring back into my line of sight, crashing to the ground with a smoking hole in the chest of his armor. He growled and stood, his scarab instantly fixing the armor for him. Asami and Virgil rushed him, along with Tye, who ran over from the direction Black Beetle had come from. _How long was I out?_

Shakily I got to my feet, grabbing at the empty stasis cells in order to pull myself up. I almost joined in the fight against Black Beetle when something else caught my eye. Two figures stood at a stasis cell a ways to my right, working frantically to get it open. One of them I recognized as Ed, while the other, a teen with a buzz-cut and metal gauntlet, I did not recognize. Ed was speaking quite animatedly, but the other boy seemed for the most part to be ignoring him. I looked up at the stasis cell they were trying to open and immediately saw why. Inside was not a group of heroes, but a large green alien. I glanced one last time at Black Beetle, seeing clearly that they were fighting a losing battle. That was when everything clicked in my mind.

I ran over to the two boys, ignoring the pounding in my head with each step. The buzz-cut boy was working feverishly on the stasis cell, but it kept beeping angrily at him, refusing to open.

"Uh! I really hate that sound!" the boy exclaimed, scowling at the beeping monitor and pounding the keys with his gauntlet covered hand. I realized as I came closer that it was not a gauntlet. It was a prosthetic arm.

"We're throwing everything we've got at this desperado and we're barely holding our own. Shouldn't we free some of the good guys?" Ed asked the boy desperately.

"No," the boy responded, his voice struggling to remain cool.

"Ah, amigo, you don't seem clear on who we're here to rescue."

"Trust me, I'm clear." His voice wavered more on that, becoming a growl. I could tell he was struggling to open the cell. "Ah!" he yelled in frustration. At that instant I reached them and pushed him out of the way, placing my fingers on the keyboard. Instantly they flew into action, unlocking the binds on the cell one-by-one.

"Hey!" he growled at me as he stumbled into Ed.

"Trust me, we'd all be feeling the mode if I left you to unlock this," I replied coolly, not taking my eyes from the screen.

"Jade, you know this guy is not part of the League, right?" I opened my mouth to respond to Ed when a crash sounded behind us. I heard a roar from Black Beetle, followed by a yelp that sounded like Asami. I forced my fingers to move more swiftly. A beep, this one friendlier toned, sounded from the monitor and the red glow of the alien's stasis cell faded.

The alien fell to the bottom of his cell before quickly climbing to his feet. He opened his green eyelids, revealing pure red orbs beneath. Not exactly a pretty sight, but I knew he was exactly what we needed. His eyes narrowed as he spotted Black Beetle.

"Reach!" he bellowed.

"Mongul!" Black Beetle roared, turning away from the metas fighting him. "This is all your fault!" Mongul let out a ferocious roar and charged at the alien warrior. _Well, that takes care of that problem,_ I thought.

"You guys free the team," the kid with the metal arm barked out, looking between me and Ed. "There's something else I need to get." Before I could answer, he ran off. A crash sounded, which I assumed was Mongul and Black Beetle. _Alright, let's do this._

Crouching down, I formed a small, knife-like shield in my hand. I pried it into the metal panel under the stasis cell keypad and forced it open.

"Go round up the others so we can help the heroes out of their cells," I instructed with my back turned to him. I picked through the wires under the keypad.

"What are you doing?" he hesitated.

"I'm rewiring the control panels so I can open all the stasis cells from here instead of individually. Trust me; that will take _way_ too long." From the corners of my eyes I saw a brief flash of light and Ed was gone. My hands and eyes flew into action, cutting and re-attaching where I needed to.

"Done!" I shouted, leaping to my feet. I turned to see Ed, Virgil, Asami, and Tye standing behind me. I smirked. "Let's hope this doesn't blow up!" I spun away from the slightly panicked gaze of my friends and tapped a few keys on the console. I was rewarded with the hissing of machinery and the sound of bodies hitting the ground. The stasis cells were open!

"Ha ha!" I exclaimed. "Alright people, let's get these heroes out of here!" We all ran off to different cells. I very deliberately ran to where I had seen Bart.

His cell was stacked atop two others, so it was much too high for me to reach. I quickly formed a shield around the heroes inside and lowered them to the ground. I quickly scanned the three bodies. One, a small boy, was completely green and covered in fur and had … a tail? He wore a red and white uniform, and while I recognized him, I couldn't place his name. _B – Something, right? Yeah, I think it was a B._

The person beside him was a girl. Her blonde hair was held back with a headband and she wore silver cuffs on her arms. Wonder Girl.

Then a saw him. With his mop of red hair and crazy green eyes hiding behind red goggles. He groaned and sat up.

"Bart!" I rushed forward, enveloping him in a hug.

"Jade?" he asked incredulously.

"Who is that?" Wonder Girl asked, aiming the question at the two boys. I ignored her.

"Isn't she the girl who broke into the Cave?" B-Something responded. It was seriously bugging me that I couldn't remember his name. I broke away from Bart, taking the sight of him in.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked, scanning his face.

"Jade, what are you doing here?" I smirked.

"Do you think once I found out you were captured that anything could have _stopped_ me from coming to get you?" There it was; the familiar laugh in his eyes. I heard another yell and a crash.

"Jade!" I turned to meet Virgil's call. "We should probably think about getting out of here."

"Agreed." I stood and helped Bart up. He leaned heavily on my shoulder. Virgil helped Wonder Girl and B-Something to their feet as well. "Let's get the others."

**...**

**And that's a wrap! I'll put more up as soon as I've finished it! Thanks for reading! Please remember to review because I LOVE hearing from you!**


	11. Chapter 11: A Warning

**Sorry for not updating sooner! I've actually had this chapter typed out for a while, but due to a family emergency wasn't able to post it. Now that school's started i'm not sure how consistent i'll be, but i'll do my darndest! *puts hands on hips as dramatic fanfare explodes behind me***

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm exploring a little more with what Jade's powers can do, but it will be more explained in later chapters. Enjoy!**

**oOo**

**11: A Warning**

**May 30, 2016**

**The Warworld**

I surveyed the heroes in front of me, all nursing various injuries and of course the disorientation of stasis. In all we had broken out nine heroes; Bart, Superboy, Bumblebee, Wonder Girl, Robin, Batgirl, Wolf, Guardian, and Beast Boy (Whom I finally learned the name of.). Of course, there was also my team,making us a force of 14. Normally, a group of this many supers would be a force to be reckoned with, but everyone looked a little worn. Virgil and Ed seemed relatively unharmed, but Tye seemed protective of his chest and Asami sported a large bruise on her forehead.

"Jade, what's your plan for getting out of here?" Bart asked, his fingers twitching nervously at his sides.

"Uh …" I looked to Asami, who shrugged. I wasn't sure if the boom tube could take all of us. "We hadn't really thought that far." Bart groaned loudly.

"Seriously? You don't even have a plan?" Bumblebee hovered in front of my face, annoyance in her voice.

"Honestly, I didn't expect us to get this far," Ed admitted. I glared at him. _Let's try to keep moral _up_ shall we?_

"What are you doing?" someone shouted behind me. I turned to see metal-arm-guy, who had run up from behind a row of stasis cells. "Move it!" _That works,_ I thought.

"Let's go!" I shouted, waving the group after me as I broke into a jog and followed Mr. Prosthetic. Bart jogged beside me. "So, what do I call you, now that you're a full-fledged superhero?" I asked playfully. He grinned at me.

"Impulse."

"Hmm, I like it. Not to flashy, still unique, fits the no-filter way you talk –" I laughed when he stuck his tongue out at me.

"What about you, Princess? Got a name yet?" I gave a half-hearted smile.

"I'm pretty sure I won't be regarded as a hero when this is all through." His smile balked.

"You're seriously not still planning to –"

"Bart, have you _ever_ known me to give up on something I've made my mind up to do?" I was answered with a moment of painful silence.

"Jade, you can't –"

"C'mon, Bart. Let's just focus on getting out of here, okay?" I pleaded, searching his eyes and forcing my voice to sound upbeat. He pursed his lips and looked forward.

"Okay." I stared at him a moment more before looking forward. Fortunately, it was just in time to not run into grumpy-metal-guy. He had stopped us in front of a large metal door, his finger hovering above a keypad.

"Okay, get ready," he announced to the group. _Is it possible that he looks _angrier_ than before?_ "There's a squad of Reach soldiers waiting for us behind this door." I tensed, coiling in preparation, and saw the rest of the group do it as well. Metal-arm-kid pounded on the keypad and the doors hissed open to reveal … Nightwing?

The group froze for an instant, slightly stunned. From behind Batman's protégé stepped Miss Martian and Sphere. A sense of relief seemed to settle over the group, or at least, the _heroes_ of the group. I was still as tense as ever.

"Hey fearless leader. Better late than never," Metal-arm-guy greeted, walking over with cocky familiarity.

"Arsenal," Nightwing replied. "Everyone safe?"

"For now," Metal-arm-guy – or I guess, Arsenal – scoffed.

"The Crystal Key?" I stared at the serious face of Nightwing. I get that the first time I met him hadn't been under ideal circumstances, but I had really expected him to be different. My parents had described him as being more congenial, not so blank-faced.

"Gone. And we better get gone too before one of them," Arsenal gestured behind him to the fighting aliens, "declares a winner."

"Right, move out," Nightwing ordered.

"All aboard. We're almost home free!" Miss Martian announced with a smile, gesturing to the ship behind her. The Bioship. My parents had talked about the Bioship, even showed me pictures, but – wow! The red body was so sleek and perfectly aerodynamic.

"Kinda cool, huh?" Bart asked, elbowing me in the arm. Grinning, I gave him a shove back.

I moved to the side of the hall to allow the Young Justice team to enter the Bioship. They seemed a little more on the injured side, so getting them help was a priority. Bart stayed by my side, but I couldn't tell if it was because he was glad to see me, or if he was guarding me. Nightwing turned back to the group, standing at the Bioship's entrance with Miss Martian and Bumblebee.

"I think congratulations are in order," Nightwing announced, surveying the group. I avoided his gaze, doing my best to hide behind Bart and Arsenal. "No training, no guidance, and yet you pulled it off. When we get back, after a debrief, there might be a place for all of you with the team."

"Wow, really?" Virgil exclaimed, making me smile. I knew he was going to make the team.

"So now that we saved your butts, you're cool with us not being STAR Labs guinea pigs?" Tye challenged angrily. He crossed his arms defiantly, not relenting even when Asami put her hand gently on his arm.

"Chill out," Virgil told Tye. The Native boy grunted and glared back at the future hero. Their staring contest went on for a few seconds before they both looked away and went silent.

"Before we head back we need to talk about Blue Beetle. He betrayed us," Arsenal growled. Bumblebee flew right up in his face and started yelling, but I wasn't listening.

My head suddenly felt very foggy, as if someone had thrown a blanket over my brain, keeping me from seeing my thoughts. I was no longer aware of my surroundings, only the slowly growing pressure inside my skull. Instantly I knew what was happening. There was someone tampering with my mind.

The pressure reached its peak of intensity, feeling like a hot spike had been thrust into my head. Instinctively I formed a shield over the only part of me that I was aware of: my mind. The other presence vanished from my mind with a high-pitched yelp. I opened my eyes to find myself back in my own body, sitting on the floor within a bubble-shaped shield. Bart, Virgil, Asami, Ed, and Tye all knelt around the shield. I looked past them at Nightwing, who was supporting a quivering Miss Martian. I stood up, glaring at her and hesitantly letting my shield down. Instantly I felt energy drain out of me. Getting her out of my head had affected me just as much as her.

"You have no right to tamper with my head, Martian!" I spat venomously. My friends' eyes all turned to the shaking green girl.

"I – I didn't recognize your mind … I thought … you might be a Reach …" her eyes met mine, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

"Miss M, you can't just –" Bart started in my defense.

"Actually she can," Nightwing interrupted. "The Warworld is infested with Reach, and regardless of that, I wouldn't exactly call _her_ a friendly," he gestured to me, his voice remaining cold and even as he lectured Bart. "You've told us almost nothing about her and from the behavior she has displayed, she's closer to being arrested than being congratulated." The former-Boy Wonder looked at me, eyes narrowing beneath his mask.

"Hey!" Ed protested.

"Without Jade we wouldn't have rescued anyone!" objected Virgil.

"That may be, but for now –" Nightwing started.

"You're really going to kill him, aren't you?" Miss Martian's voice cut in quietly. My stomach dropped. Having the Justice League knowing my purpose in the past was _not_ part of my plan.

"What did you see?" I growled.

"Everything." I glared daggers at her, both rage and panic filling my chest.

"You shouldn't have been in my head, Martian!" She ignored me and leaned into Nightwing, whispering something into his ear. While I couldn't hear her, I was miraculously able to read her lips.

"_She needs to be taken in."_ Nightwing responded with a ghost of a nod and turned back to the group.

"We can discuss this more when we're not behind enemy lines," Nightwing ordered. "Now let's get aboard and get out of here." Bart moved his hand to my back, urging me forward. My hand's clenched into fists and I planted my feet, glaring at the heroes.

"Not much left to discuss, is there, Grayson?" I asked with a smug smirk. He turned, eyes wide beneath his cowl. "Nice strategy though. Get me all nice and cozy in the Bioship before arresting me." My friends gaped at me. "Sorry, but I don't feel like spending my immediate future in a cell."

"What you're planning is pre-meditated murder!" Miss Martian cut back.

"How far would you go to save the world? What would you sacrifice to save your family?" I spat at her. She narrowed her eyes, glancing at Nightwing. Bart stepped forward, placing himself between me and the two heroes.

"Look, we can't do this here. Let's discuss it once we've gotten out of here," he pleaded. His peacemaking wasn't having the desired effect.

"Not much left to discuss, hey, Nightwing?" Arsenal bit out.

"Look, we respect what you heroes do and all," Virgil started, his expression changed from the excitement of before to a guarded, protective gaze. He stepped beside me protectively, quickly followed by Tye, Ed, and Asami. "But we have our own way of doing things."

"Yeah," Tye gave the three heroes a glare to rival Batman's. "We wouldn't betray the people who just rescued nine of our teammates."

"See, we don't need your help to get back to Earth, amigos," Ed announced.

"And we _definitely_ don't need your offer to join the team," added Tye.

"Hmm, sounds like you guys know what you're doing," Arsenal mused. "Mind if I join you?" I opened my mouth to protest, but Ed beat me in response.

"Sounds like a plan." A muscle jerked in my cheek. I did not trust Arsenal and definitely didn't want him with us. Asami brought out the Father box. Nightwing's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Wait, is that a –"

"G'bye, Bart," I said, looking him straight in the eyes. He shook his head. "Please don't get in my way."

"Home, please," Asami announced, and we were swallowed in a flash of golden light.

**oOo**

**So, that's that. Jade threatened Bart (meanie) and Arsenal has joined the gang! Yay! Please leave a review as I love to hear from you! Until next time ...**


	12. Chapter 12: Truth

**Another chapter! Yay! Surprisingly I coughed this one up pretty quick, but don't be too excited. It's pretty short. Hope you enjoy! Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!**

**oOo**

**12: Truth**

**May 30, 2016**

**Taos, New Mexico**

I hit the ground hard. My elbow hit the hardwood at a weird angle, and I reached to rub it just as Arsenal landed on top of me, his metal arm smacking me in the nose.

"Get off me!" I shoved him hard, not really caring if I hurt him. I rubbed my tender nose. "Dude, totally not crash!" Arsenal glared at me, climbing to his feet.

We had been transported back to the apartment, which still looked as messy as we had left it. Tye groaned in front of me, rubbing his head which I assumed had smacked hard on the floor. After climbing to his feet he reached back down and helped Asami to her feet.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Great!" Ed exclaimed, looking pointedly in my direction. "Now we're fugitives from the Justice League!"

"Hey! I didn't ask Miss Martian to dig around in my head!" I snarled.

"Yeah," Virgil added. "And I didn't hear you objecting when we were back there!"

"Didn't really have a choice, did I?" Virgil marched forward, getting right into the Hispanic boy's face.

"What were we supposed to do? Let them arrest Jade?!" And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the laptop on the coffee table blinked to life.

"So, am I right in thinking congratulations are in order?" Lex Luthor said smugly.

"Luthor!" Arsenal hissed. "You were running errands for him?!"

"Ah. You brought home a souvenir," Lex replied, a barely-audible edge to his voice. I groaned.

"Let me guess, you two have history together?" Arsenal turned to me.

"This guys the reason I'm missing eight years of my life and my arm!" he barked. I could see the wheels turning in his mind. "Don't you get it? He didn't care if you rescued the team! He was using you as a distraction to lure Black Beetle away from the Crystal Key so one of his other pawns could steal it!" he turned back to Luthor in rage, as if checking to see if his assumptions were correct. I wasn't sure what the Chrystal Key was, but Arsenal seemed to think it was a pivotal piece of information.

"Mm, Deathstroke's more of a bishop, actually, but I'm not sure I understand the problem," Lex replied, keeping his seemingly unbreakable cool. "You rescued the heroes and dealt a blow to the Reach, isn't that exactly what I promised you?"

"We're not pawns, Lex, and we're definitely not _your_ pawns," I stepped forward, glaring at the screen. I spread my hands. "I think I can speak for all of us when I say we're not even players. We have our own war to fight, and I definitely won't be working under a king." Lex smiled.

"Was that supposed to be threatening?" he spoke as if scolding a child.

"No, it was actually one of my more heartfelt attempts at a goodbye," I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. He did not look amused. "I have a slight problem with working under authority figures, so like a told the Jr. Justice League, stay out of my way."

Lex opened his mouth as if to respond, but Arsenal growled and lifted his arm, blasting the computer into tiny pieces. The rest of us jumped back in surprise.

"Whoa, dude!" Virgil exclaimed. Without a second thought, Asami brought out the Father Box and incinerated it with a purple energy blast.

"Well, I guess that means we're not allies anymore," Tye observed. Ed sat back on the couch, his face stunned.

"Wow, you have a habit of making enemies," Arsenal said, smirking at me. I scowled at him.

"You can shut your face. We're not buddies, or even comrades, and I don't really like you," I said pointedly. He only smirked, and I realized I was proving my point. _Idiot._

"He's right, Jade." I looked towards the couch, where the quiet voice of Ed had spoken up. "Now not only are the Reach and the Justice League after us, you managed to make an enemy of Lex Luthor!"

"It's not like all of you were crazy about working with him, either. It was only a matter of time!" I defended myself.

"I got three words for you, Jade; Apartment. Computer. Father Box," Ed responded. "We wouldn't have survived without Lex!"

"Technically that's four words," Tye inserted. Ed looked at him.

"You're missing the point, amigo." Ed continued. "We would never have made it on our own for so long without him. The money we used for food, the med kit that saved you, even getting out of STAR, that was all his doing, and now you've gone and pissed him off!"

"I've survived way worse injuries than that bit of rock, so I wouldn't say that he 'saved me'," I protested.

"Why are you taking his side?" Virgil but in, stepping towards Ed. "Jade's our friend!"

"I'm not taking his side!" Ed jumped up from his seat.

"Well you're certainly not taking ours!" Virgil stepped closer until once again, the boys were nose-to-nose.

"Are they always like this?" Arsenal remarked to me dryly. I glared back up at him.

"Why don't you just shut your hole and stay out of this?" He just smirked and continued watching the argument.

"What Jade does is not everyone's side!" Ed retorted.

"Well it should be! We're a team, we're supposed to work together!" Virgil responded vehemently.

"Really? You can honestly say you agree with everything Jade's done? Don't you remember why she's here in the first place?!" At the words, Virgil physically balked.

"Anata no ryōhō ga chinsei-ka suru hitsuyō ga arimasu! Watashitachiha tomodachidesu!" Asami yelled as she placed herself between the boys. It was the most angry I had ever seen her. "Calm."

The boys glared at each other one last time before relaxing. Asami may have defused the situation, but it was already too late for me. In that moment I felt very small, very isolated. I knew I would be rejected, even put in prison for what I came to do, but it still hurt. For the first time since the argument started, Ed and Virgil seemed to notice me watching them. Virgil looked back at Ed and glared.

"Jade, I'm sorry, it's just that –" Ed started.

"No, I get it," I said, inching my way out of the room. "I'm just gonna go … uh … shower, or something," and with that weak excuse I fled the room.

**oOo**

**Oh uh! Team's not so team-y anymore! Will Arsenal add to or help solve that problem? Find out next time on: "A Jaded Mission"!**

**(Please leave a review!)**


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